My apologies, Senpai
by PaiigeCourtneyy
Summary: "So, Senpai, I apologize. I'm sorry." Feeling satisfied with himself for getting it out there, Stein let a small smile form on his lips. - Spirit decides to pay a visit to his former Meister, and gets a rather shocking apology whilst there. Turned into a drabble series now; each chapter will probably be unrelated to the rest unless stated otherwise. Chapter 16: 1914.
1. My apologies, Senpai

**Warning: About midway through, I think the plot just literally dissolves. It doesn't make sense to me.**

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Stein picked up his clipboard, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

_Ah, yes._

_Experiment 52: Mice._

Clicking the top of his pen, Stein wrote down all the observations he had made so far.

_Mouse 1: Heavy sleep, unresponsive; possible comatose._

_Mouse 2: Increased energetic movements. No apparent signs of lethargy._

Stein crouched down and looked through the bars of the third cage. A small smile crept to his lips upon the sight.

_Mouse 3: Deceased._

A throaty chuckle echoed through the basement, sending a shiver down the spine of the shadow lurking in the doorway.

Standing up straight, his back to the doorway, Stein's head tilted a little to the left. "Hello Spirit." He said nonchalantly, as if he'd known about his presence all along.

He probably had. Another shiver ran through the body of the man – Spirit – before he fully stepped into the basement, looking around warily. Stein placed his clipboard back on the desk before turning to face his old Weapon.

"What are you doing here?" Stein asked, sounding as if he couldn't care less about the answer.

"W-what, can't I just come and visit my friend without having another reason?" Stein shrugged,

"I guess that's plausible, but you never have done before."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes. Have you come to donate your body to science?" There was a glint in Stein's eye as he said that, a glint that terrified Spirit to no end. It was just s terrifying as the smirk now toying at Stein's lips. Spirit's face paled immensely, and he began wringing his hands together, staying as close to the door as he could. "You're nervous about something." The smirk grew wider. "What is it?"

"N-nothing!" The older boy squeaked. Stein raised his eyebrows; he could tell he was lying.

"Does Kami know you're here?" Surprise filled Spirit's face. He hadn't expected Stein to bring her up.

"Of course she doesn't. She hates you. She'd never have let me come if she knew." Stein made a noise of agreement. That was true.

"So why are y-"

"Actually… We had an argument, and I didn't know where else to go. I just needed… I just need someone to talk to." Spirit admitted, letting his face fall into his hand.

"Oh, an argument? What about?"

"It's not important. I mean, it was stupid… I was just angry and I said something I didn't mean." Spirit let out an exhausted sigh. "And now of course, I regret it and I want her back but I don't think she's ready to forgive me yet." Stein nodded.

Comforting people or helping people with any kind of emotional problem really wasn't Stein's forte. He had no idea why Spirit had come to him, but hey, he didn't exactly mind.

The two stood in a comfortable silence, neither not knowing quite what to say. But neither minded; it gave them both a chance to think. Spirit was the first to speak.

"I really care for her."

"I know."

"I think I love her."

"I know."

"And it scares me."

"I know."

"How do you kn-"

"We were partners for a very long time, Senpai." Stein murmured quietly. "I guess it's safe to say I know you better than myself." Spirit bowed his head in shame. It was sort of his fault, really, that they weren't partners anymore. He was the one who let Kami take him away. Maybe, _maybe_ if he'd just confronted Stein about it, then maybe they'd still be partners and best friends and _brothers_.

Maybe.

"Look, Stein, I'm-" He was cut off once again by the young doctor.

"I'm sorry." The words were rash and blunt and full of emotion and… _and so not Stein_.

"W-what?" The crimson Death Scythe stuttered, looking at his former Meister in disbelief. Had Stein just... apologized?

"I'm sorry for experimenting on you so much." Spirit's eyes grew wide and his heart rate picked up. _What?_ Stein could sense the sudden change in the atmosphere, the change in the Death Scythe's soul. He hurried to explain himself better. "I'm not sorry, really, for experimenting on you."

_What? That didn't make any sense! _Stein let out a frustrated growl. Why was apologizing so _damn hard? _Oh that's right, because Stein didn't apologize, _ever_.

So why was he now?

He didn't know.

But he _did_ know that he meant it.

Mostly.

Spirit was still looking at him, confusion etched into all of his features. Into his face, his posture, his soul. Stein had never apologized. Never, not even once in all the years that they had lived together, had Franken Stein ever apologized to him. To say he was surprised was putting it very mildly. He couldn't think straight and only managed to mutter six words: "That… that didn't make any sense."

"I know." The doctor said lamely, looking at anything but him. He could feel Spirit's eyes on him, waiting.

Waiting for an explanation.

Waiting for an answer.

An answer he had, but didn't want to say.

Stein took a deep breath.

"What I meant was… I'm sorry - but not for experimenting on you. No, I'm not sorry at all for that. In fact, I'm glad I did that, honestly, because I learnt quite a bit about how the body work-"

"_Stein!_" It was Spirit's turn to cut him off.

"What?" Stein asked innocently, seemingly confused as to why Spirit suddenly sounded so angry.

"You were rambling." He said pointedly.

"Oh." Stein reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "Err, well." He coughed awkwardly, willing the next few words to leave his mouth. "What I meant was- well, what I was trying to say was that I'm sorry."

Spirit sighed, closing his eyes, exasperated. He ran his hand through his crimson locks, desperately trying not to let his anger show. He didn't want to make Stein confused or angry because that could tip him over the edge and turn him insane, but _God_ was he feeling that himself!

"I _know_ you're sorry, Stein." He said through gritted teeth. "You've said it _four times_. But what you haven't said is what you're sorry _for_. So, Stein, _what are you sorry for?_" He reopened his eyes and stared directly at Stein, glad it was dark outside and that the sun wasn't glinting off of his glasses. Not that the sun could even leak through the curtains in Stein's basement anyway. But still.

Stein opened his mouth, and then closed it again, no sound coming out. Spirit felt himself ease up somewhat. He knew how difficult his friend could be, especially when it came to emotions. He relaxed his face into a more natural ensemble, determined to wait for Stein to get over whatever block his mind had formed.

He was determined to find out what Stein was apologizing for.

And he didn't mind waiting, not even if it took all night.

Finally, after slow, agonizing minutes of silence, a pained look crossed Stein's face. It wasn't an explanation, but it was progress. At least he was no longer standing there gawping like a fish.

"I guess…" He began slowly, drawing out his words. "I guess I'm sorry for… for the _way _I did it." He admitted, looking at the ground in shame.

_Shame?_ _When was Stein ever ashamed of his actions? _The guy had cut open his own face for Shinigami's sake!

His head snapped back up suddenly, and Stein and Spirit were once again staring each other in the eye. Determination was what filled his eyes. He was going to explain himself. He'd gotten halfway there already, so surely he could say the other half.

"There were probably much better ways I could have gone about dissecting you and experimenting on you than in your sleep. It was wrong of me. I should have at least asked for your consent, instead of drugging you and then dragging you to my lab." Never once did he blink during his confession. "So, Senpai, I apologize. I'm sorry." Feeling satisfied with himself for getting it out there, Stein let a small smile form on his lips.

He'd said it!

After years of mulling it over and thinking about ways to do it, to show how sorry he was, he'd finally done it. He'd just blurted it out.

He just hoped Spirit could forgive him.

His vision was suddenly filled with red. Stein's body went rigid as he felt familiar arms clasp around him, bringing him tighter into a hug. It took a few seconds for his body to relax and mold into the hug.

"I forgive you." Spirit whispered into his ear. Stein clutched him tighter, tears forming in his eyes.

That was all he wanted. Forgiveness. And Spirit knew that.

"Thank you." He whispered back, feeling the growing madness recede back into the deeper portions of his mind. That was why he liked Spirit so much.

Spirit helped keep him sane.

Spirit always stuck by him.

Spirit always forgave him, no matter what monstrous act he did or was about to commit.

Spirit Albarn_ didn't believe he was a monster._

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**Okay so sorry if this was slightly OOC, this has been my first Soul Eater fanfic, and I absolutely love the relationship between Spirit and Stein. Leave a review? It doesn't take long and they're greatly appreciated! Also, I'm not sure if Spirit ever did visit Stein after they stopped being partners, but he might have, so for the sake of this one-shot lets just pretend he did!**


	2. Smoke Alarm

**A/N: I decided to turn this into a series of short one-shots! They'll probably all be unrelated to each other unless stated otherwise; feel free to leave prompts and suggestions if you wish!**

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**Smoke Alarm**

Weapon and Meister partners Spirit Albarn and Franken Stein did not have a single smoke alarm in their shared dorm. If asked why, the pair would answer in exactly the same way:

"Spirit didn't think it was necessary."

"Stein didn't think it was necessary."

And that was true; neither of them did believe it was necessary for them to have a smoke alarm in their apartment.

Until, that is, Stein decided to learn how to cook.

* * *

"Come on, Senpai." Stein leaned on the back of the sofa, his face next to Spirit's neck as he read over the crimson Weapon's shoulder. "We can't have take-out _every_ night." Spirit ignored him, instead flipping the menu over to the noodle section. Stein sighed; nothing he said concerning their dietary habits ever got through to the older boy.

"Senpai."

Another flip of the menu. Stein was convinced Spirit wasn't even reading it anymore.

"_Senpai!_"

"What?" Spirit snapped irritably. He was just about to make his choice, dammit!

"I _said_ we can't have take-out every night." Spirit sighed. So it was _this _argument again.

"And why can't we?" He asked politely, putting the menu aside and turning to face his Meister.

"Because one, it isn't healthy, and two, it _costs_ Spirit." Spirit rolled his eyes, but Stein didn't see; he had picked up the menu and was now thoroughly inspecting it with a frown. "Besides, have you seen how many calories are in each dish? How much fat they contain? I'm supposed to make you into a Death Scythe, one of Shinigami's weapons; you won't be a very good one if you continue eating this way. You need to be ready for action at all times; you need to be fit and healthy." With that, he scrunched up the menu and tossed it in the bin.

"Well then, Mr. Healthy Eating Guru, what do you suppose we do?" A grin spread itself across Stein's face, and Spirit found himself recoiling into the arm of the sofa in an attempt to get as far away from the madman as possible.

"That's easy, Senpai, we learn to cook." At this Spirit snorted, bursting out into laughter.

"_Seriously?_ What, are we going to attend a _class_ or something?" Stein rolled his eyes, undeterred.

"Of course not. We'll buy a cook book. It can't be that hard to learn."

So buy a cook book was exactly what they did the next day, along with the necessary ingredients. For the very first time, their fridge was stocked with food of all forms and they even had a fruit bowl filled with fresh picked fruit.

Stein crouched down, inspecting the oven. He'd turned it on, put the Lasagna inside and was now counting down the minutes until it was ready. He hadn't made the Lasagna himself; it was one of those prepackaged foods. Spirit didn't quite trust him enough yet to not poison the food, so had insisted on buying the packaged foods until Stein was 'a complete professional in the kitchen', as he put it.

At last, the timer dinged and Stein put on the oven gloves, taking the baking tray out and dishing up two portions; one for himself and one for Spirit.

And so began the pair's new healthy lifestyle.

They ate the meal in silence and it was actually pretty tasty, considering it was the first time Stein had properly cooked. (Baked beans or soup just didn't count as cooking to him, not matter how much Spirit campaigned.) He washed the dishes afterwards, threw away the rubbish and closed the oven door.

What he didn't do however, was remember to turn the oven off.

Spirit grunted in his sleep, slowly opening his groggy eyes. He located the alarm clock and groaned; 3 A.M. He sniffed and could smell heavy smoke, before rolling over and closing his eyes again.

Wait. Smoke?

Was Stein practicing his culinary skills?

Flipping off his quilt, he made his way to the kitchen. "Stein it's three A.M what on earth are yo- oh. _Oh._ Dammit!" Coming out of the oven and steadily climbing its way to the counter were bright orange flames intent on wreaking destructing through the kitchen. In haste, Spirit immediately grabbed the tea towel and began swatting at the fire, forgetting that he should probably have rung the fire department or at the very least checked the cupboard for a fire extinguisher.

"Stein!" He yelled, continuing to banish the flames. "STEIN!" At last he heard Stein's bedroom door open and shut.

"Is that smoke? Senpai what are you doing?" His eyes widened as he turned the corner to see Spirit tackling the flames. "_Senpai!_" Stein's first action was to check the cupboard and find the damn fire extinguisher before spraying it over both Spirit and the fire.

Even more enraged now by the fact he was drenched in water, Spirit turned his wrath onto Stein. "You _idiot!_ You left the oven on! You are _never_ cooking in this kitchen again, you got that? And tomorrow you're going out and buying a smoke alarm!" With that said, he stomped out the kitchen, shoving the tea towel into Stein's now empty grasp.

Despite the fact that he and his Weapon had almost just perished in a kitchen fire that he caused, Stein couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape his lips.

He just found it so _funny_ somehow.

But the same day that it began, the pair's healthy lifestyle ended.


	3. Jackrabbit

They were late. Very late. First period had already started; in fact, it was almost over.

It was half past nine in the morning, and Franken Stein and Spirit Albarn were still at home, with the latter being stuck somewhere along the blurred line between wakefulness and sleep.

Cursing, Stein clambered out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, yelling at Spirit to get up and that they were late. Satisfied with the incoherent mumbling coming from his Weapon's room, Stein proceeded with his shower.

Dressed and waiting, Stein tapped his foot whilst checking his watch impatiently. _What on earth was Spirit doing? _They needed to get going! He growled to himself as he made his way to the older boy's room. If only he was a few years older, then he would be able to get his license and not have to wait.

Respecting Spirit's privacy, he decided to knock first.

No answer.

"Senpai? Are you ready yet?" Stein gingerly pushed open the door.

The crimson idiot was still in his bed. Stein sighed. What was wrong with him? Yes, okay, so they had come home late last night from their mission and were both exhausted, but Stein was up. So if Stein was up, then surely Spirit would be up, right?

Wrong.

An outside observer who only observed and did not register facts may suggest that Spirit was still out from the sedatives that Stein used to stop him from waking during his experiments. But they would be completely off the mark.

For one, Stein didn't use sedatives on Spirit, for he didn't _need_ to. The man could sleep through anything! _Even having his skin slowly slit apart…_

Stein chuckled lightly at the thought.

And secondly, Franken Stein was _not_ a cruel man. He knew, given the state both of them were in when they arrived home, that experimenting on him would have been a great risk to the both of them.

"Senpai." Stein cocked his head to the left. Rolling up his sleeves, he padded his way over to Spirit's bed. The boy was lying on his back, head in an awkward position and mouth open with small snores erupting from it. Careful as he could, Stein climbed onto the bed and sat on his knees, leaning towards Spirit's face.

_I guess I get to experiment on him after all._

"Spirit…" He whispered in a chilling tone. There was another incoherent mumble and an arm was spewed across the sleeping face. "Spirit, if you aren't out of this bed and sat upon your motorcycle in five minutes, _I will dissect you._" And just in case Spirit thought it was an empty threat , (though when later reflected on Stein would realize it was mostly for his own amusement), he took his scalpel out of his pocket and pressed the steel instrument gently onto Spirit's shoulder blade.

There was a sudden surprised yelp and flurry of limbs and cloths as Spirit jolted into full awareness and took one wide eyed look at Stein's face before fleeing from the room quicker than a jackrabbit in heat.

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**Regarding length, some will be short, like this, and others will be long, like the first :) But leave a review if you liked this!**


	4. Birthday

Stein yawned and hit the 'off' button on his watch. _Time to get up… _Glancing at the date, he groaned inwardly. The day had finally come.

His birthday.

Stein wasn't big on celebrating birthdays; more specifically, his own. He just didn't see the point in them; okay, so his body was by default one year older and therefore one year closer to being fully developed, but that wasn't exactly something worth celebrating, was it?

He just didn't understand a lot of things. Emotions, for example… yes, emotions were tricky for Stein. They couldn't be dissected that easily, (if at all), and Stein rarely experienced them first hand.

_Well, let's just get the day over with. At least… at least nobody knows but me what today is._

Yes, Stein had kept his birthday a secret. There was no point in others celebrating it if he wasn't going to himself. Not that there was anyone to celebrate it for him, anyway.

Making his way to the small kitchen unit, he could smell food being cooked.

_Food? Hmmm…_

Sitting at the table, he observed Spirit. Eggs were sizzling in a pan along with sausages and some bacon, alongside with some beans in the pan next to it. "Good morning Spirit." Spirit started slightly, having not heard Stein approach, before turning with a grin on his face to look at his Meister.

"Morning Stein! You're just in time, eh."

"In time for what? And what are you doing? I thought we said we weren't going to cook here anymore." Stein's head tilted to the side and his brow furrowed over his confusion. He became further confused when Spirit's grin faltered slightly and a quickly smothered anger flashed in his eyes.

"No. We said that _you_ weren't going to cook in the kitchen anymore. I, on the other hand, still have free reign in here."

Stein made a small 'oh' sound of understanding while Spirit dished up two plates of the meal and set them down on the table.

"Here! A birthday meal for the birthday boy!" Stein gaped.

"Wh-what?" He swallowed thickly. No one… no one had ever done this before. Eyes trained on the meal before him, he picked up a fork and slowly spread the sausages around. He had literally no idea how to respond to this.

"It's your birthday, Stein. You haven't forgotten that, have you?" Stein shook his head. "Here." A small box was pushed into his view, and he looked up at Spirit, startled. A … a present?

"Senpai…"

"Open it!" Spirit encouraged softly. Nodding, Stein complied, gasping when he took the lid off.

There, lying down on the sponge padding was a steel scalpel, freshly sharpened and in a much better condition than his old one.

Stein could feel tears prick at the side of his eyes. But he was… happy. Stein was happy. So why was he crying? He didn't understand…

_Emotions!_

His throat had constricted, making speech difficult. "Tha- thank you." And he smiled then, a real smile. Not the half-hearted one he made when Spirit was attempting to be humorous, or the lunatic one that lit up his face during one of his psychotic bouts; no, it was a warm, genuine smile.

"You're welcome, Stein."

Stein's confusion and some new found curiosity returned at that moment.

"Hold on… I've never told you when my birthday is. How did you know?" He turned his gaze onto Spirit then, and the crimson scythe rubbed the back of his neck looking at him with a sheepish smile.

"You er… you remember that…_ incident_… at the academy last week, right?" Stein nodded. Of course he remembered _that_ incident… "Yeah, well, while Shinigami-sama was outside talking to you, he had, erm, _left_ your file open on the desk and I may have, erm, _peeked_ inside it a little and saw that your birthday was today so…" He waved his hand, nonverbally continuing his sentence.

Stein chuckled lightly, holding his present up so it glistened in the light. Spirit's face seemed to fill with something Stein couldn't quite place. It sort of looked like regret, or fear, or maybe both…

"You just keep that thing away from me, okay?" Spirit's voice was stern, and Stein couldn't help but smile at the tone of it. What type of smile, though, he couldn't say. He supposed it was a mixture of all three.

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**Hey look another chapter! But no more for a week, as I'm going away. Leave a review if you like it! Leave a prompt too, if you want.**


	5. Maka

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Quite. You're a lucky man."

"I know."

"What have you named her?"

"Maka. Do you like it?"

Stein nods, looking down at the bundle in his arms.

"It's a very nice name."

The named girl in question lifts her tiny hand and waves it about, a little gurgling sound coming out.

Stein can't help but smile slightly.

"Hey there, Maka."

He's talking to her, and her alone. There is no father in the room.

"You're going to grow up strong, you know. Like your mother, I can feel it already. So much potential."

He lifts a calloused finger and trails it down her cheek, the action being watched by two pairs of eyes; one olive and one blue.

"We- Well, _I_, wanted you to be her godfather, you know."

"Did you, now?"

"But Kami wasn't too… _keen _on the idea."

"I figured as much. Here,"

He hands the tiny bundle back to the doting father.

"Just so you know, you're welcome any time to visit."

"Any time that Kami isn't around, you mean."

"Well… yes."

A smile is shared between the two, along with words of goodbye.

"Thank you for bringing her to meet me, Senpai. I wish you all the luck."

Spirit only nods, before leaving to reunite with his wife.

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**I've never done a dialogue fic before, so I thought I'd give it a sort of go. (I know it's not all dialogue, but the majority of it is, so it can pass, right? ;D)**


	6. Repetition

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

_Pause._

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Click!_

_Crack. Crack. Crack._

_Resume._

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

Eheheheheheheheh!

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

You could do it, you know. Nobody would know… nobody but him, anyhow.

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

You know you want to… Eheheheheheheheh!

"Something's still not quite right."

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Click!_

"There; much better."

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

Eheheheheheheheh!

"I wouldn't be mad if you did; I never really liked her anyway."

_Gasp. Turn._

"Spirit?"

_Silence._

He isn't here. But he could be. You know that.

_Clench. Grit. Inhale. Exhale._

What's stopping you? This is something you want. Something you need.

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

_Pause._

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Click!_

Eheheheheheheheh!

I'm not something that you can run from, Stein! I'm here, inside your mind, waiting, watching, always waiting. The moment you slip I'll come out! So come on my boy, slip! Just one slip! You need this slip. You crave it. Dissection. It's what you want. _And there's nothing stopping you._

"Come on, Stein, you used to do this all the time when you were younger, without even thinking. So what's stopping you now?"

"I won't…" _Clench._ "Destroy…" _Unclench. _"Your happiness, Spirit!"

_Strike._ _Smash._

Eheheheheheheheheh!

Give up, Stein. You're a wreck. And you're slipping. I can feel it; the surface is even closer now. Come on! You want this. You want to dissect her. _She stole your greatest experiment! _ Revenge can be healthy. Revenge can be an experiment.

"NO!"

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Click!_

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Click!_

You can't… _Twist… _keep… _Twist_… running… _Twist_… from me…_Twist_… Stein…

_Click!_

_Exhale._

_Resume._

_Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type. Type._

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**I guess this was sort of inspired by episode 26, but in actuality, I have absolutely no idea of what this is… it sort of just wrote itself, eheh. Sorry. But I hope you enjoyed it... whatever it was.**


	7. Positive Energy Vibes

Sitting in his preferred style – backwards, basically – Stein addressed his pupils. "Alright people as I'm sure you know there isn't much time remaining. In three short days you'll all be taking the general test for Meisters and Weapons: The Super-Written Exam. I'm sure you've all been studying for it."

He watched in silence, observing as these facts registered in the minds of the youths.

"Just to warn you, I wrote the test questions this year. If you've studied the materials you should be fine; if not, you may have a problem. In either case, good luck! 'Kay?" Using his feet to propel motion, he kicked away from his desk, speeding towards the open door. "Class is dismissed!"

Still rolling backwards, the chair jerked to a sudden stop as the wheels got caught on the bottom of the doorframe; something that happens _every damn time_, but Stein never does anything about it.

Hasn't he learnt his lesson yet?!

Falling to the floor with a gracious 'umph!', he listens with a smirk on his face to the obvious displeasure the teens are growling out.

Oh, what fun it is to be a professor!

Walking away from the class, he lets a cackle escape as he hears Maka sternly rebuff her partner on his attempts to cheat, only to stop in surprise when he sees a very strange figure standing – no, _crouching_ – in the middle of the hall.

Walking as quietly as he could, not that it'd matter, he came to a stop behind the stunted Spirit.

The crimson Death-Scythe was making the oddest sounds, mainly grunts and short, sharp breath inhalations and exhalations, accompanied by vivid hand gestures, and for a brief moment, running motions.

Yet his feet were planted firmly on the floor, other than the times he would raise them with an inhale, and slam them down with a fierce grunt.

Stein took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth, watching calmly. He could see Maka in the distance, apparently not realising her father was less than 20 metres away; if she did, she would have surely left by now.

When Spirit looked as though he was trying to direct a huge force of wind down the corridor, Stein decided to make his presence known to his former partner.

"What on earth are you doing, Spirit?" He asked, not quite curious, but still wanting to know.

Slowly, Spirit's head turned to face the younger, yet taller, man.

"I'm sending positive energy to Maka so she'll do well on the test." He explained, as if obvious. To him, it was.

"Okay…"

"Anything else?" Spirit demanded, aching to get back to his ritual.

"No, continue." Stein watched for a moment was the weird voices resumed, along with the heavy footing, as Spirit 'sent positive energy' to his daughter, (who was still blissfully unaware of what was happening behind her turned back), ending with a hoarse version of her name being grounded out.

Shaking his head at his friend's delusional mind, he set off to get some lunch, lighting his cigarette as he went.

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**A/N: I just had to do this; it's one of my favourite scenes! I'll probably do the scene in the hospital with the toe switching as well, since I love that one too. I'm currently working on a longer two-part one for this fic, as well, more centred around Spirit as I feel I've been neglecting him.**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcomed, along with prompts! (seriously; running out of scenarios here guys!)**


	8. Chicken Soup

"_A-achoo!_" Stein groaned; this was the 13th time he had sneezed this morning. Blowing his nose and disposing of the now tainted tissue, he grabbed his school bag and left his room. He paused halfway down the hall way, feeling another sneeze coming. He closed his eyes, bracing his self for the upcoming impact…

Nothing.

_Huh. I guess it passed, then._ Shaking his head, he continued towards the living room where his partner was sat, waiting for him.

"_Achoo!_"

Fourteen.

Grabbing some more tissues, he made his way to the bathroom to wash his hands, ridding himself of the germs.

Emerging seconds later, he came face-to-face with the rarely seen 'serious Spirit'.

"Stein?" He questioned, looking down at the smaller boy. "You okay? You've been sneezing a lot this morning."

"I'm fine, Senpai." Spirit didn't look convinced. "Come on, or we'll be late." Stein attempted to push past his older weapon, but was stopped by sturdy hands.

"Hold up a second," Spirit placed his hand on Stein's forehead, frowning at the temperature of it. Stein was hot, very hot. "Jeez, Stein, you're burning up!"

Stein just shook his head, "I'm fine Sen-_achoo! _"

Spirit just rolled his eyes at Stein's obvious lie.

"No, you're not fine. Come on, go back to bed."

"But-"

"No. You're sick, Stein, you can't go in to school today. I'll ring them and let them know; but for now, you need rest. I'll make you some of my Ma's chicken soup." Spirit smiled brightly at the thought of his mother's delicious soup, and ushered the pouting boy back down the hall into his room. "Just put your pyjamas back on and climb in to bed, okay?" Stein nodded, having realised just how worn out and generally ill he actually was feeling once Spirit pointed it out to him.

Minutes later, with steaming soup in hand, Spirit entered his Meister's bedroom, not surprised to find the boy wrapped in a cocoon of blankets on his bed.

"Here," He said softly, sitting down on the edge of Stein's bed and handing him the bowl, accompanied by a spoon. "I bought you some orange juice as well," Spirit added, placing the cup on his bedside table.

"Thanks, Senpai." The younger boy sniffed. Feeling rather paternal in the moment, Spirit reached over and ruffled Stein's hair;

"No problem, kid."

* * *

**I was originally intending this to be longer, but I just decided to leave it here. Not my best work, I'll admit. The next one (Or the one after, depending how long it takes me to write it) will be longer and written from Spirit's point of view.**

**Review and leave prompts/scenarios please!**


	9. Reality

"Papa…" The young girl with the ash blonde hair in pigtails tightened her grip on the leg of the kneeling man, clutching herself closer to him. "Papa, please!" The girl's voice was crippled with worry and panic; she was six years old, she had no idea what to do in a situation like this!

The kneeling man only shuddered harder, trying to keep his cries silent.

He couldn't.

Another sob wrenched itself from his throat, piercing through the otherwise silent graveyard, causing the little girl to grip the man's leg in a terrified lock.

"Papa…" She tried again, her voice a broken whisper.

The man was determined not to hear her.

Clenching his eyes shut, his half-bitten nails sunk into the soiled ground. Mud grinding itself up his fingers, the crimson death-scythe only cried harder, the soft droplets that had begun to plummet from the sky only served to fuel his emotion further.

He felt like his whole world was caving in on him.

Like the Fall of the House of Usher; except he was not deemed lucky enough to have his other half returned to him alive.

"Papa… It's raining, papa, you'll catch a cold…" The little girl sniffled in demonstration, pulling the hood on her yellow rain coat up and letting tears well underneath her green irises.

There was still no response from her denial filled father.

"Papa, please, we have to go…"

Spirit Albarn shook his head, keeping his eyes closed in a desperate attempt to ignore the reality that surrounded him.

The reality that Dr. Franken Stein was dead.

* * *

**So the relationship between the two here is open for interpretation, and this really was just a spur of the moment decision to write, so sorry that it's not that long.**

**Don't forget to leave a review! (And a scenario if you wish!)**


	10. Fork In The Road

"You have two options, Spirit."

"I know, Lord Death, sir. But it's just…"

"Just what, Spirit? This isn't a very hard decision to make."

"Just… You wouldn't understand, sir. Don't we have a guidance councillor here or something? Some I can talk to that knows what they're doing?"

"Hmm… Well, there _is _Miss Valente, but she's currently off sick… So no, not really Spirit."

"Oh. Well, okay, thanks Lord Death, but-"

"Now wait just a minute, young man! You can talk to me, you know, I do have this table for a reason."

"Err-"

"Come, sit. Good, now, what appears to be the problem, hmm?"

"The problem? Sir, you know the problem, I mean that is why you called me here…"

"Yes, yes, but sometimes it's better to hear the problem come out of your own mouth for a change – at least that's what I've heard Miss Valente say before…"

"I guess. Huh. This is going to sound so weird, but I have two very powerful Meister's trying to have me as their weapon."

"And these two Meister's are?"

"Stein and Kami, of course. So now I have the dilemma of choosing which one to be my partner."

"Now that _is _a dilemma. They're both excellent Meisters, and you'd be lucky to have either one. I can see why this decision is troubling you."

"Yeah."

"So how about we talk about Stein first, then? He's your current Meister, correct?

"Uh huh."

"What do you think of him?"

"He's great. I mean, we resonate perfectly together, that's mostly his doing though, but whatever, it's still good. We have a good partnership."

"But you feel as if he's holding you back?"

"What? No! No. Stein isn't holding me back at all, at least, well… I feel as though it's my responsibility to constantly keep him in check, you know, and sometimes… sometimes I just wish I didn't have to. He's a great partner, creepy as hell, but great."

"I see. You think highly of him, then?"

"Of course I do! He's a genius. And very powerful."

"Okay then. What about Kami?"

"Kami is… beautiful."

"Don't tell me you're about to base your Meister choice on your sexual preference, Spirit."

"N-no! Of course not, Lord Death, sir."

"Good. Please continue."

"She's an excellent Scythe wielder, we've sparred quite a lot, and we get on extremely well. Better than Stein and I do most of the time, actually. Our soul's resonance is near-perfect match without either of us having to put any effort in, as well, which is a bonus."

"It seems as though you would prefer to have Kami as your Meister, Spirit."

"I guess it does… But I just really don't know. I do however feel as though I'd be able to get further with Kami, closer to my goal, that is."

"And what is your goal, Spirit?"

"To be one of your Death Scythes, sir."

"And what a powerful Death Scythe you would be. But you know if you do become my Death Scythe, then I would be your partner, right?"

"Yes, I know that sir."

"Good, just checking. Why do you feel as though it would be easier to achieve that with Kami? I can assure you that the road to becoming one of my Death Scythes is not without its perils."

"Well, for one, I wouldn't have to worry about her being consumed by the madness. She might not be as good as Stein without a weapon, but she can sure kick my ass with ease when we're sparring, and I know I'm quite efficient at hand-to-hand combat."

"Interesting; it's going to be a tough decision for you, Spirit. All I can say really is go with the one that you feel is right. Whether that's with Stein or Kami is ultimately up to you."

"Yeah, you're right. I should go with the one I feel is right."

"Yep. So have you made up your mind?"

"I think so. Thanks, Lord Death. I should probably go."

"Any time, Spirit! Have a nice day!"

"You too, sir! See you!"

* * *

**Well this piece is pretty self-explanatory, to be honest. It's written as a dialogue fic because I really wanted to have a go at writing another one, aha.**

**Okay, so I really like ****Lialane Graest****'s suggestion of doing a scenario where Kami finds out about the experiments, and the after-effects. (Thank you for that!) I have one idea in mind for it, and I know if I do that it'll definitely be a two-parted shot, so I was just wondering if any of you guys have any input you'd like to suggest for it.**

**Leave a review!**


	11. Reunion

"This is the worst day I've had since I was assigned Stein as a partner." Spirit grumbled as he sat hunched over, grudgingly accepting advice from Blair inside the lounge at Chupa Cabra's.

"It was an absolute hell," Spirit said slowly, staring down at the glass table, "the time I spent as his partner. That guy… he did…" Spirit was struggling to contain tears as the memories came flooding back, filling his head like sand would an empty jar. "…Experiments on my body. He used me as a lab rat while I was sleeping!" Spirit exclaimed, gritting his teeth as more tears spilled down his cheeks. "And this went on for _five _years!"

His two lady companions looked at him in slight astonishment, wondering how on earth he didn't notice in five years. "For five years? I can't believe you didn't notice anything."

"Oh wow! You must have been really stupid back then." Blair gave a little giggle, poking him on the back.

"The only strange thing I noticed was that new scars would appear on my body every day. If my ex-wife hadn't figured out what was going on, he might still be doing things to me! I can't stand to think about it even now!"

"But you were Stein's partner for five whole years; doesn't that mean your soul must have been compatible with his?" Blair asked, still trying to lighten the mood.

"You don't understand. It doesn't matter. If he has any interest in a weapon he can easily master it. He's much stronger and smarter than my wife. Sorry, ex-wife; the one who made me into a Death Scythe." Spirit took a deep breath, bracing himself for the words he was about to utter: "Stein's mad, but he's a genius."

* * *

"You must be Scythe-Meister Maka." Stein kicked Maka's back, propelling her forward and him backward so that his head crashed into the newly standing Black Star, sending the blue haired kid crashing back to the floor.

A distinct yet slightly muffled "Oww, my face!" could be heard, causing Stein to chuckle. He twisted the screw inside his head a couple of times, trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

"Hmmm. Let's see; Scythe-Meister Maka… Something's familiar about that name, if I could just put my finger on it… Ah!" He remembered now. "Your mother was a Meister and your Spirit's little daughter, aren't you?"

Stein watched, in subdued fascination, the interaction between the girl and her weapon.

"Who's Spirit?" The Scythe had asked, sounding a bit annoyed at being out of the loop.

"That was what my father was called before he became a Death Scythe." She responded rather irritably.

_That's odd… _Stein thought, turning his screw once more. _Are things not so perfect between Spirit and his darling daughter anymore?_

"But I want to know how _you _knew about that." She directed her statement at Stein, regaining her balance with Soul in hand.

Stein rested his chin on his hand, replaying several memories inside his head.

"I can still remember even now. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Ah. So, you are indeed Spirit's darling daughter. And the daughter of the women who ended my greatest experiment. I wonder what kind of subject _you'd_ make." The moonlight glinted off of his glasses then making them look opaque, and it sent a shiver down Maka's spine.

He just looked so damn creepy!

Stein chuckled, before gearing up for another attack. He heard the Scythe mutter: "it's okay, it's only a tap; I can take it." _If only they knew…_

He rolled at them, his hand outstretched. When it came into contact with the cool metal shaft that was the Scythe's handle, he twisted, sending a shock of his soul wavelength through both Weapon and Meister.

They were both sent flying backwards, and Stein watched with glee as they struggled to get to their feet. He stood up as well, pushing his chair off to the side.

It was time he got serious.

He twisted the screw a couple more times.

"Let's see here," He began plotting out loud, staring directly at his two opponents. "How should I begin my experiment?" He made a snipping motion with his hands, smirking as he sensed the confusion and terror roll off Maka in dynamic waves. She charged at him again, shouting as she did.

It was a futile attempt; he deflected this blow easier than his first attack, sending her back down to the floor. However, before she could greet the concrete slabs, he grabbed one of her pigtails, yanking her up, ignoring the gasps of pain coming from her.

Hair pulling was a _bitch._

He threw her black coat to the floor and lifted up her shirt, unveiling her flat stomach. "Ah," He breathed out, peering down at it. "You have lovely skin. Simply lovely." He reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a marker pen, "Where do you think I should insert the knife first?" He drew a vertical line, followed by a horizontal one with an intersection in the top left hand corner.

He pulled her face up higher so it was level with his. "Let's see if I can turn your skin into sandpaper." He grinned maliciously, loving the look of fear and the sweat that poured from her.

"You're about to need a new pair of glasses, bastard!" He turned to see Black Star running at him, hands spread out like wings. "How could you have forgotten that I'm here?!" Stein looked at him in a bored fashion and replied monotonously:

"Easily."

"You're not the only one who can use Soul Waves to attack without a weapon!"

"What?" Stein's eyes widened in surprise; he was not expecting _that. _

"Black Star Big Wave!" Black Star jumped at him, his feet planting firmly on the ground before sending a bone-crushing punch into the Doctor's spine. Maka was roughly pushed forward towards her weapon as Black Star delivered what was sure to be the finishing blow.

Black Star's grin soon faltered when he realized that Stein had not moved a single inch from his attack. He gasped as he took a couple of steps back,

"A surprise from the wild boy." Stein lifted his head, but kept it hidden from Black Star.

"You deflected my Soul attack." Black Star stated, not quite sure how he had done that. Stein pushed his glasses up to the rim of his nose.

"Don't you remember how I checked your soul data when you first arrived here?" He turned to face Black Star, the moon glinting off of his glasses in that creepy way again. "When I did that I familiarized myself with you Soul's Wavelength so now I can adjust mine so that they match. When the wavelengths are the same, they cancel each other out so your attack is powerless. You see in the exact moment you attacked, we temporarily bonded. It's like connection between a Meister and their Weapon. That was a fun experiment, but now it's my turn."

He ran at Black Star, looming over him with a smile etched onto his mouth. Chuckling, he placed his hands on either side of the blue hair, using his Soul wavelength to effectively electrocute the kid.

He barely heard Black Star's concerned Weapon shout out to him.

When he was done, Black Star fell to the ground, stiff as a plank, blood spilling from his eyes and nose, splattering the end of Stein's lab coat and shoes.

He stepped back as Maka's weapon rushed to Black Star's side, trying to find some life in him.

He couldn't help but smile when Sid tried to convince them to turn back, or when Soul threatened to kill him.

"Right, let's go and get him Maka!" He declared, getting ready to transform.

The girl had other plans. "No way…" She sunk to her knees; her green eyes wide and trembling.

"What's wrong? Soul asked,

"This… this is impossible." She mumbled, more to herself than Soul.

Stein could feel her looking at his soul. The size of it alone was enough to petrify her, and that was without the added power he had as a level 3 Meister.

"The little girl can see my soul." He thought aloud to himself.

"I can't… the difference between us is too great." _So the little girl is admitting defeat…_

"Hey, come one! What's wrong with you, Maka?" Her partner rumbled, making her bow her head in shame.

"I can't." She repeated. "He'll defeat me!" Soul sighed before crouching down to face his Meister.

"What's the matter with you Maka? Why are you just sitting there? Get up!" Maka batted away the hand he had placed on her shoulder.

"Shut up! You wouldn't be acting so tough if you could see the shape of his soul like I can."

Stein twisted his screw, curious as to how this scene would play out.

Soul growled at her. "You're wrong, I wouldn't care Maka! All you saw was a single soul, right? You didn't see your future. You can't give up before you even fight." The albino Scythe grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her, "You're supposed to turn me into the strongest Death Scythe ever! You don't want that worthless father of yours to outshine us, do you? Look up and listen to me! Do you hear me Maka I'm talking to you?!"

Maka looked up at him slowly, her eyes wide. Even from his distance away, Stein could both sense and see the new resolve there.

Soul smirked. "Good. Now look over there and tell me what you see. He's been waiting patiently for you finish this temper tantrum. Isn't that so polite of the good Doctor Stein?" Maka smiled slightly at Soul, one he returned. "Come on, if we die, we die cool."

Maka stood up proudly, her eyes brimming with something near happiness. "Sorry about that. I'm better now."

"No problem." Soul transformed, going automatically into his Meister's waiting hand.

She twirled him in the air a few times before declaring "Let's go, Soul Resonance!"

Stein watched the resonance take place with a frown on his face.

_The resonance of the souls._ _Meister and Weapon harmonize, the Meister passes soul waves to the Weapon, the Weapon then magnifies the waves and passes them back. They repeat this process until they create a soul wave more powerful than either is alone._

_I'm impressed. She can use the Witch Hunter when she's still so young._

He watched them put everything into the resonance, building up until they reached their limit. He couldn't resist drawing them up on it.

"You're putting everything into one hit?" He questioned, even though the answer was obvious. "Come on," He yelled at them, "Let's see exactly how much your soul's can handle!"

Maka came at him, swinging Witch Hunter from below.

Stein caught the enlarged Scythe in his hands, but had to push his feet back in order to maintain his balance.

The lens in Stein's glasses shattered slightly.

"You can control the Witch Hunter, too." He praised her, "But I'm afraid your skills are too rough." With one last burst of soul wavelength, Stein shattered the Witch Hunter blade, sending Maka and Soul backwards.

They landed meters apart from each other.

Stein could hear Maka's panting as he walked toward her. He stopped by her head and crouched down. "You managed to remain conscious," Before he could reach out a hand toward her, Soul transformed from his Weapon form, appearing over his Meister in a very protective manner.

"Back away." He ground out, wincing form the pain he was in. "I won't let you touch my Meister."

"In that case I'll start with you." Stein's features hardened slightly and he reached out a hand towards Soul.

Soul closed his eyes on anticipation, only to open them confused seconds later when he felt Stein ruffle his hair.

"You earned a passing grade, good job." At this, they both gasped, looking at him as if he were crazy. "Your extra lessons have been completed." Stein withdrew his hand and smiled down at Soul. "You gave up your own body to protect your Meister. That's all you need to earn a pass from me."

Soul sat up from his stance over Maka, growing even more confused. "Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear the first time, I'll say it again: _huh?" _

"This was all planned out by Lord Death. He asked me to do him a favor. He wanted me to help you with these extra lessons." Soul recoiled, pointing frantically at Black Star who was being comforted by Tsubaki.

"But if you were in on it why did you kill Black Star?!" He cried.

Black Star limply lifted his head, slurring something that sounded like "I bet you think you're a funny guy, huh?"

"He's still alive? But what about Sid the Zombie?!" Sid lifted his hands in a surrendering motion, visibly sweat-dropping.

"Ah yeah sorry about all this. Back when I was alive I was definitely a man who would never tell a lie. But a lot of things have changed since then." Sid calmly explained.

"Oh you don't say! Then what the hell was the point of all this? To see if you could scare us to death?!"

From her position in a crumpled heap on the floor, Maka could only manage a broken half-whisper of "Seriously?"

Stein pushed his glasses back up, saying "It was just a test. But I confess it was fun scaring you kids like that; you should have seen your faces!"

"That man is seriously sadistic." Soul and Maka stated.

Stein jumped back onto his chair, spinning around a few times before facing the group with his hands in the air. "Hey everyone! I'm sure you're all tired, why don't you spend the night in my laboratory?"

There was an angry chorus of "_That's a big fat no!"_ before they got up and left the premises as fast as they could.

* * *

Soul sat at his desk, his face in his hands, beside a miserable Maka. "I'm still worn out from last night."

"I dreamt Stein was using me in his experiments." Her head thumped onto the desk as she moaned.

"Tsubaki!" Black Star barked out, his voice filled with dread. "Was Stein a bigger star than me yesterday?!" Tsubaki looked at him incredulously,

"Seriously?"

None of them heard the approaching wheels of an all too familiar desk chair.

"I wonder if they've hired a new teacher to replace Sid yet." Soul wondered out loud. "Hey, maybe your dad will be out teacher again." He looked at Maka, who gasped in embarrassment.

"No, anyone but him!"

Soul, Maka, Black Star and Tsubaki all looked up when a familiar scene played out before them: Doctor Stein's chair tripping on the door frame and sending him sprawling before them.

He stopped, still on his back and seated on the chair, and pulled out a book from his pocket. "All right class, are we ready to get started?"

The look of pure shock on the student's faces was priceless.

"This isn't funny." Soul spat out.

"This might be the first time… I've actually wanted to see my father!"

"Damn." Black Star muttered, "That guy sure knows how to get attention."

Stein adjusted the screw a couple of times.

"We'll start by dissecting some frogs. Should be pretty exciting."

Once class was over, and all the students had left, Stein used his soul perception to search the premises.

He grinned when he came across a _very _familiar soul.

* * *

Spirit hung his head limply. "I screwed up. Maka isn't even at school right now." He was sat in the school nurse office, having what could effectively be referred to as a nervous breakdown.

"All this risk for nothing." He sat up, his hands almost tearing out the crimson locks that fell from his head. "The only place to see Maka is here at the academy, so I came… Sure, but coming here means I might run into _him_." The last few words had reduced Spirit's voice into nothing more than a tortured whisper.

"All I wanted was to see my daughter!" He complained. "Instead I'm staring straight in the face of danger. But don't worry Maka!" Spirit's eyes shone with fierce determination. "Your papa's not going to back down. I will overcome this obstacle, and when I do, you'll know how much I love you, you'll finally understand!" Spirit closed his eyes, hearing the welcoming and familiar footsteps of the school nurse.

"But before I do all that, I need to have the lovely school nurse heal my wounded heart and give me courage! Oh yes!"

The door opened and Spirit immediately threw himself at the nurse, hugging her bare legs underneath that white dress…

Except that her legs weren't bare.

Spirit cranked one eye open, quickly followed by the other one and then finally his jaw. All that came out of his mouth were incomprehensible stuttering as he stared up at the stoic face of Franken Stein.

"Hey there Spirit." He said lazily. "I've been looking for you." Spirit scrambled away from his as fast as he could, ending back up on the bed.

"Oh no!" He cried out, hugging his knees to his chest. "Not Stein!" He was a quivering wreck. "I don't know what you want with me but all the scars from your experiments have finally disappeared, I'm not afraid of you anymore, so there!" He let out a nervous laugh that stopped as soon as it had started. "I'm not afraid of anything, how do you like that, Stein?"

A wicked glint came into Stein's eye.

"Then I take it you noticed that I swapped the middle toe from your right foot with the one from your left foot."

Spirit's head whipped round to face him, followed hysterically by his body as he rushed to pull of his shoes and socks. "What?" Are you nuts?! He wailed at the man, "Why would you do something like that to me?!" He peered closely at his toes, inspecting them thoroughly.

Stein's face broke out into an enormous grin.

"Made you loo-ook!" He sung out, smiling. "You know that little daughter of yours, Maka, she's growing up quickly, huh?"

Spirit gritted his teeth in frustration. He was not aware those two had met yet.

"I'll be honest, when I heard you were getting married, I wasn't so sure about it." Spirit looked at him, surprised. "I thought to myself: There's no way this is going to work out. But then… I watched the two of you together, and you seemed so close that I was reassured."

Spirit's face went wide with shock.

"And then I thought: Those two have found a love that is sure to last forever."

Spirit bowed his head behind Stein, wondering how to tell him the news he clearly hadn't heard yet.

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Um, yeah, about that…" Spirit began, "You may not know this yet, Maka's mother and I… we actually got divorced last month It's… over between us." Spirit gulped.

"I know." Stein responded, causing an outraged Spirit to ponce and start strangling him.

"Damn it! I'm going to kill you! Heartless bastard!"

"Oh yeah and one other thing," Stein calmly announced, his voice taking on a much darker tone. Spirit stopped shaking him back and forth to listen, his brow furrowed. "It seems the demon sword has turned up."

Spirit glowered, "What?"

* * *

**I felt bad for not posting in over a month, so here! (Sorry, I know this is basically a transcription of a whole episode, and the episodes are 5 and 7 for anybody wondering, but I just felt bad for not posting anything original and this was a lot longer than originally planned) I do still have two pieces for this under construction, but life and distractions kind of just got in the way. They're called 'Infatuation' and 'Subconscious' if anyone wants a hint at what they're about.**

**As usual, suggestions and reviews are more than welcome!**


	12. Subconscious

**Warning: This is from Spirit's Point Of View, a change up from my usual style of writing.**

* * *

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

That's the first sound my mind registers as it fogs into consciousness. I groan, trying to lift the heaviness that is my eyelids, wishing I could subdue the headache and make my thoughts coherent.

There's a heavy metallic scent in the air, making my head swim and throat involuntary want to gag.

I tug my arms, trying to move them, only to find them strapped in place – identical to my legs. I struggle harder, eventually giving up when the leather begins to chaff my skin and create blood.

My eyesight has reduced its bleariness, but the room is too dark for me to properly notice anything but a hunched shadow in the corner.

"Hello..?" I croak out weakly, my voice sounding like cracking sandpaper. The figure stands abruptly and walks agonizingly slow into the little light filtering through the window.

It's raining outside.

I almost scream when the face of my Meister stands only metres away; his glassed eyes are heavy and tired, with blood splattering his cheeks.

What frightens me the most is the butcher's knife clutched loosely in his right hand, still dripping with fresh, warm blood.

"S-stein? Wha- what's going on? Where are we?" I try to no avail to break free from my binds.

Thunder rumbles somewhere in the distance, followed closely by a large rod of lightning, lighting up the room –Stein's face included- and sending me into a panic induced struggle to get free.

I can't stay here; the lightning strike gave me a chance to properly see what Stein was hunched over in the corner.

Bodies. Animal bodies; tens of them. Sheep, pigs, chickens and cows. Blood lined the wall behind his desk, a collage of different shades and shapes, accompanied by the pinned up bodies of rabbits and hares, with their feet cut off and hung on a piece of rope around their own bodies.

Not exactly what I'd consider a lucky charm.

"Good evening, Senpai." He murmurs quietly, wiping the blood from the knife on his lab coat. "How are you doing?" He asks, peering over me.

"How am I- what? Stein, what's-" He shoves a cloth in my mouth and as a reflex I start to gag before desperately attempting to spit it out.

I can't.

My eyes dart around wildly as a slow grin spreads across his face. It looks unnatural; out of place, like it doesn't belong on his face.

Inhaling deeply through my nose, I close my eyes. If I can just concentrate carefully enough, then I should be able to slice through the straps holding me down.

_Stupid! Why didn't you think of this earlier?!_

It takes a lot of effort, but I eventually manage it. There is a sharp sound of slicing leather as my blades come out of the side of my wrists and ankles.

I jump up, sending Stein stumbling back as I do so.

I spin around, trying to locate the exit.

There it is, right on the other side.

A quick glance at Stein shows he's a few feet from me, rubbing the side of his head.

I take the opportunity, and run for the door.

Just as my hand is about to close around the handle, something hard blows the middle of my spine, sending a riveting shock throughout my body. I fall to my knees first and my head soon follows, landing on the cool tiles with a hard thud that echoes.

* * *

When I come to this time, there is no dripping or metallic scent. I bolt upright, glancing around frantically.

I'm back in my room, covered in sweat, but still. I'm safe.

My hands shakily reach up to feel my face and the back of my head, checking for injuries.

I release a sigh of relief when I find none, realising that it all must have been a dream.

"Senpai? Are you okay?" I hear Stein's almost bored sounding voice, and look over into the doorway to see him standing there, book in hand, peering at me through his glasses.

I shudder involuntarily; after having such a creepy dream about the man, I couldn't help it.

Standing there in my doorway, observing me like that, with the moon reflecting on him… All that's missing is the thunder and rain, and it would be like a living nightmare…

Stop thinking like that! I scold myself, remembering I have yet to answer the patient boy still watching me. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, Stein. Sorry for waking you up." He shrugs,

"It's fine, I wasn't asleep anyway." And then Stein walks off, reading as he goes. I hear his bedroom door shut quietly and I lie back down, closing my eyes, fighting to keep my pulse steady and breathing normal.

It was just a dream, just a dream…

There's no way that could be true. I mean, you're not hurting anywhere, are you Spirit? You're bound to hurt if you've just had your skin sliced open and then stitched back up.

See? I'm not hurting anywhere. So that means it never happened. It was just a dream…

Yeah, just a dream. Clearly I've been spending too much time with the kid and some of his madness is leaking into my subconscious, that's all.

That's all.

_But what… what if it wasn't a dream?_ A small, barely listened to voice in my head pipes up. I immediately squash it back down.

Impossible. It was a dream. I'm certain.

It's not true. It _can't_ be true…

It's impossible. If it _was_ true, which it most definitely is not, then that would mean that Stein has some kind of secret lab somewhere that he takes unsuspecting victims to…

_Spirit!_

Uh… yes, subconscious voice that I squashed only minutes ago?

_This is Stein we're talking about here._

I know that-

_ N. Your partner. The crazy kid in the room next door._

Yes-

_NOTHING is ever sane with him! You can't trust him!_

Bu-

_No buts! He's crazy! And he has a secret lab where he does experiments on you!_

Wait, hold on, we don't know if that's true or not.

_Spirit._

What now?

_Your wrist. Look at your wrist._

Despite feeling rather stupid for actually obeying the imaginary voice inside my mind, I turn my head and lift my wrist up so it shines in the light of the moon filtering in through the window. My brow furrows as I examine the leather bracelet –_strap? - _Huh. Strange, I don't own a leather bracelet-...

_No, you don't. But you do know somebody who uses them for restraints._

I don't have time to make it to the bathroom before the vomit manages to creep its way up my throat and out of my mouth.

* * *

**I made this because all my other chapters have focused mainly around Stein, so I thought Spirit was feeling a bit neglected. I actually had a lot of fun writing the first part, eheh.**

**I'm thinking of doing a song fic as one of the chapters, because I really want to do one about 'Shake It Out' by Florence + the Machine – do you think that would be suitable for this pairing? Or perhaps 'Monster' by Meg and Dia? I just really love the lyrics to them, and I think it could work well with Stein's mind. Also, I made a Soul Eater AMV, if you want to watch just put /watch? v=G0rI5DTFz3o at the end of the Youtube URL and remove the space **** (Or type in my channel name, which is MissPaiigeCourtneyy)**

**As always, reviews + suggestions are greatly welcome!**


	13. Sutures

Stein balanced on his hands and knees, coughing, hacking up blood. The gashes on his stomach were bleeding heavy and his legs stung as though they'd been viciously attacked by a hoard of killer bees.

The truth wasn't far from that, though, to be quite honest.

Spirit, his Weapon partner, wasn't much better off.

Both of their clothes were ripped in jagged crosses, hanging on by simply a thread.

Spirit limped over to Stein and bent down, pulling him up by the arms. Seeing him almost stumble and trip back over from what was most definitely a twisted ankle, Spirit heaved him onto his back piggy-back style.

He winced and gritted his teeth, determined not to cry out when Stein's stomach collided rather painfully with the slash on his back.

Stein's eyelids drooped, fogging in and out of consciousness as the elder of the two trudged his way slowly back to the apartment they shared.

"Senpai, I'm sorry." He murmured quietly.

"For what, Stein?" Spirit asked, continuing the treacherous walk.

"For letting her get away. We should have been able to kill her." He mumbled, his voice sincere.

Spirit shook his head. "Not your fault. Besides, we'll get her next time, and then you'll make me a Death Scythe. Just you wait, okay?" He felt a feeble nod from his passenger before he added: "And try to stay awake, all right? Just until we get home, then you can go to sleep." There was another nod and an almost silent 'okay'.

It took almost ten more minutes for them to reach the apartment.

Deciding it wasn't worth the effort to search for his keys, Spirit simply kicked the door in and staggered through, heading straight for Stein's bedroom and laying the teen onto his bed.

He sat down next to him and they both began pulling off their clothes, hissing when they had to unstick several patches from their wounds.

"Sit up." Spirit commanded, reaching into Stein's night stand to bring out the needles, thread and antiseptic that he knew he kept there.

"I can-" Stein began, but Spirit wasn't having any of it. He shook his head,

"No. Let me take care of you." Stein nodded and let Spirit apply the antiseptic, not even flinching at the coldness.

He was used to it by now.

He was also used to the feel of a needle puncturing his skin, the thread being dragged through.

He watched with languid fascination as each abrasion was sewn up, the thread cleanly cut off afterward.

Spirit had an unusually steady hand.

When the last wound was cleaned and dressed, he sat up gingerly, so his back was resting against the headboard.

"Thank you, Senpai. Now turn around, let me see your back." Spirit nodded and obediently obeyed, turning so his back was facing Stein.

He reached for the antiseptic, pouring it onto a fresh cloth before dabbing down the mark along Spirit's back. He heard him grunt; both from the cold and the pain.

Once the wound was clean, Stein could clearly see that it was far too deep for stitches.

He had no idea how the man hadn't collapsed from blood loss yet.

Placing his hands on either side of the incision, Stein closed his eyes. Spirit frowned slightly, wondering why he had yet to feel the stitches.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to question, he felt a warmth spread through his back, effectively paralysing him. The warmth dissipated, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

When he felt no more sensation, he spun around to face Stein, just in time to catch the head that was lolling forward.

He gently raised Stein to be level with him, his eyes hard, and willed him to focus on him for just a few more moments.

"Stein!" Spirit growled, and Stein's eyes snapped to focus on him. "You idiot! Are you crazy, using your Sutures like that whilst in this condition?! You could have killed yourself!"

Stein's lips upturned at the corners slightly into a relaxed smile. "It was too deep to stitch, Senpai." He mumbled softly.

Spirit shook his head, "_Idiot._" He said once again, slower and quieter.

He helped Stein lie back down and was about to get up and leave for his own bed when a hand stopped him.

"Stay." Stein said, almost inaudibly. Spirit looked at him incredulously for a moment before his face softened and he sat back down. Stein shifted over so that Spirit could lie in the space next to him.

"If I stay here, you're not going to experiment on me in my sleep, are you?" Spirit joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Once again, the corners of Stein's mouth twitched. "Honestly, Senpai, in this condition I would be more likely to experiment on myself."

Spirit paled slightly.

"I'm not going to wake up and find you with another screw in your head, am I?" He asked, rather worried.

Stein chuckled, a wheezing sound that hurt both his chest and throat, and shook his head. "No, no. I don't have any left."

Spirit visibly relaxed. "Good. I almost had a heart attack when I found you in the bathroom, you know."

"Heh. Sorry, I never meant to scare you. It was just an experiment." Spirit rolled his eyes; _they're always bloody experiments, _he thought.

Closing his eyes, Stein whispered goodnight to his Weapon before snuggling down a bit more so he was resting comfortably on his back, letting sleep embrace him.

* * *

**Hey look, a short little bit of fluff ^.^**

**I'm not entirely sure if Stein can heal wounds with his Soul Sutures, (he probably can't) but let's just pretend that for this chapter he can :D**

**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	14. Trapped

Spirit didn't think there was anybody in the school with worse luck than him.

Not a single person.

First off, both he and Stein and woken up late after having spent a large amount of time the night before hunting down a madman who was threatening to consume his Weapon, leading them to be late for first period and as a result have to both stay ten minutes after class had ended to catch up on work and then attend an after school detention.

Second, they'd almost (almost because they ran too fast for the old hall monitor to properly catch a good view of their faces) been caught running in the hall and given another detention.

And third, which is in his opinion the very worst of all the luck ever given to him, he was trapped.

With Franken Stein.

Under the mistletoe.

They both stared at the offending plant; one brain remembering everything he had ever read about it, the other spluttering vehemently words that would put a sailor to shame.

"They're all around the school," Stein said, still looking up as Spirit turned to him. "I hadn't realised they were bewitched, though."

"Bewitched?" Spirit asked, brow furrowing. "But that would require a witch, right?" Stein nodded,

"I guess, unless Lord Death knows any powerful cats. It's kind of ironic, really, considering mistletoe was originally used by Ancient Druids and Europeans to ward off Witchcraft and other evil entities."

"Well that's great, but it doesn't tell us how we get out of here." Spirit ground out, glaring at the ceiling.

"Isn't it obvious?" Stein deadpanned, "We have to kiss."

Spirit blanched.

"_WHAT?!_ No! No way! Not happening!" With the sound of seams tearing, Spirit transformed his arm into part of his blade, determined to cut the damn thing down.

That would get them out of there, for sure.

Swiping his arm at the plant, he grinned when he felt the stem pass through his blade.

Wait, what?

Checking the plant again, he saw that his slice had had no effect.

He gasped.

"Like I said," Stein drawled, "It's bewitched. The only way to break the spell is to kiss and then take the berry."

"Take the berry? What, does Lord Death want proof that we kissed?" Spirit sneered, enraged at the fact that his attack had done nothing, and also by Stein's apparent lack of reaction.

"No, but it's the tradition. After the kiss, the male is supposed to take the berry, and once all the berries are gone, the kisses can stop and the mistletoe can be taken down."

"Well it's a stupid tradition." Spirit grumbled.

"To some, I guess. Many actually believe that a kiss by a couple underneath mistletoe is actually a promise to marry, you know, along with a guarantee of a long and happy life."

Spirit snorted. "Yeah, right."

"There's only one berry left, by the way. I wonder who else has been caught here…" Spirit looked up and saw that there was indeed only one berry left. _Just my luck, _he thought glumly.

Minutes passed, neither saying anything as the clock on the wall ticked soundlessly with each move of the hand.

"This is ridiculous!" Spirit finally burst out, having grown rather impatient. "Completely, utterly, ridiculous. How much trouble are we going to get into now, because of this damned thing?"

"Spirit-"

"Lord Death has taken it way too far this time…"

"Spirit-"

"I mean, seriously?! Who on earth…" Stein rolled his eyes, sighing. It seemed he wasn't going to get Spirit to stop ranting anytime soon, unless… "Does something like th-_mmf!" _

Spirit was cut off, mid-sentence, as hands clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer as a pair of lips crushed against his. His eyes and body frozen in shock, he could do nothing until Stein pulled away, stepping backwards out of the former barriers that bound them to the spot.

"W-what the hell, Stein?!" He half-yelped, half screeched. Stein just shrugged, wiping his mouth, a feat Spirit had yet to do himself.

"One of us had to do it; otherwise we would have been there forever." Shoving his hands in his pockets, Stein walked slowly down the hall to his next class, not in any rush despite the fact he was a whole 45 minutes late.

The teacher would understand.

Just before he turned the corner, he looked over his shoulder to see Spirit still stood stock still, staring at Stein, his mouth agape. Grinning, Stein called back: "See you at home, _Senpai_." Before disappearing from Spirit's view.

Spirit blushed furiously at that last comment, the _things _it implied bringing him to his senses. He looked up at the mistletoe sprig, smiling softly as the last white berry dropped from the leaf, into his waiting hand where he pocketed it, watching the plant fold into itself and disappear.

He'd have to remember this spot for next year.

* * *

**Just a short one to wish all of my readers, if you celebrate it, a very Merry Christmas! Hopefully, if you're lucky enough, you too will be caught under the Mistletoe with that special someone!**


	15. Parachute

**(This **_**is **_**just a really short, quick experimental piece, so you don't have to read it, but it'd be great if you did.)**

* * *

You hear the quiet voice first. Barely above a whisper, it travels through your mind from one ear canal to the other over and over again.

After a while, a slightly louder voice mingles in.

They are both pronouncing words you cannot comprehend; jumbled syllables rolling off the imaginative tongue, flowing as fast and as fluently as would a river down a winding stream heading towards the drop that is the waterfall, straight to the sharp jagged rocks stationed at the dwelling where the free fall ends.

It's soft, almost therapeutic melody sends you into a dull trance. It begins to hum, and you can feel yourself slipping.

Slowly, ever so slowly…

You close your eyes, your head swaying unconsciously to the sweet tune inside your own head.

The tempo increases, like a mass of violins reaching for the climax in their ensemble, just like the rate in which you fall does.

You're going faster, plummeting towards the ground hundreds of miles per hour. Your body is a fireball.

It's burning you up, from the inside out.

Voices are telling you to stop.

That you can't carry on.

_That this is madness._

You need to pull the cord; the one that will trigger the release of the parachute and slow you down.

But you can't.

Why?

Because there is no parachute.

You don't have one attached.

You never have.

* * *

**I actually wrote this because before last week, I had never even heard of 2****nd**** person. So, naturally, I googled it, and decided to give it a try.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**(~Oh, and bonus points if you can figure out who/what this is actually about!)**


	16. 1914

**1914**

**AU – Set around August/September 1914, the early stages of WW1.**

* * *

"Don't worry," Spirit ruffled the unkempt mop Stein called hair. "It'll be over by Christmas; I'll be back before you know it!"

"Yeah?" Spirit nodded, causing Stein to smile.

"Yeah. Hey – I'll even bring you back a souvenir. You'd like that, right?" Stein nodded, flinging his arms around Spirit's waist. The train blew its first whistle. "Alright, I better get going. Don't wanna be late on my first day." He gave a laugh, and separated from Stein.

The much shorter boy stepped back, giving the steam engine train a once over. Black smoke billowed from the front chimney, the wheels squeaking as they began to chug; preparing for their journey. He sighed.

"I wish I could go with you." Spirit laughed again, fitting the state issued cap over his crimson hair.

"Me, too. I can't believe you've left me with just Sid for company!" Stein looked thoughtful,

"You know it's not too late- I could always lie to the registration office, I mean they didn't actually check the papers in that much detail…" He trailed off when he saw Spirit was already shaking his head.

"You're 15 years old. Besides, you're too short; they'd never believe you were over 18!" Stein flushed slightly, indignant.

"Hmmph."

Spirit was still shaking his head, but there was a smile gracing his features now.

"Give it a few more years, and if there's another war, we'll both go together, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise." The train blew its final whistle.

Giving one small, informal salute to Stein, Spirit climbed aboard the train.

Once aboard, he, like so many others, leant out of the window and started waving. "Don't forget, I'll be back for Christmas!"

He grinned, and went to turn and find a seat, before Stein's voice stopped him.

"Spirit!" The boy yelled, rushing forward to the edge of the tracks.

"Yes, Franken?"

"Here," Stein held his palm up to Spirit, "And it's Stein!" In his palm was a small, shiny screw.

Taking it, Spirit raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"For luck." Stein muttered, head low, before returning to the rest of the waving families.

The train wheels began turning, chugging along the track.

Stein watched as more smoke was set free into the atmosphere.

* * *

Many months would pass before Stein saw that screw again.

It was sent to him via air mail, along with various other artefacts that included the diary of Corporal Spirit Albarn, a blood stained brass button, and one clean white vest shirt.

And when Stein sat at his best friend's funeral, his cremation, he couldn't help but be reminded of that day at the station as he watched the smoke rise up and disperse.

His body was being set free.

* * *

**Okay so it has been, what, 5 months since I last posted? And I felt really really bad and I watched a bit of Pearl Harbour earlier and I this kind of came to me and it's not my best by far but I don't mind it that much so here :D**


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